CSB but I'm a double major in English Literature and Computer Science and a lot of people have told me that i should go into patent law with that combo. And my cousin went to state school law school and does patent law now and he seems to do fine. Does that check out?

Much of the work that used to be done by humans in the legal profession is now automated, I suspect that trend will only accelerate. I'm happy I got my J.D., but I wouldn't apply to law school today seeing where things are heading.

Incontinent_dog_and_monkey_rodeo:Much of the work that used to be done by humans in the legal profession is now automated, I suspect that trend will only accelerate. I'm happy I got my J.D., but I wouldn't apply to law school today seeing where things are heading.

charlesmartel11235:CSB but I'm a double major in English Literature and Computer Science and a lot of people have told me that i should go into patent law with that combo. And my cousin went to state school law school and does patent law now and he seems to do fine. Does that check out?

Get a job as a legal assistant at a law firm that does patent work before you 'waste time' on a JD. Get a sense if there is even a market there for lawyers, plus you may make connections that will actually hire you after you acquire a JD.

the lawfirm world is a scary place these days and my better half said if she was a graduate today she wouldn't bother getting a JD.

farking good. The cost of legal services is way too high. The courts are a public resource that we all pay for, but only the wealthy can afford to utilize them. Big Law might not be happy about it, but everyone recognizes that with the flood of attorneys pouring in to a shrinking work pool, the prices have to come down.

Most of the attorneys I know would be fine with taking a significant cut in their hourly rate if they could get dependable volume and guaranteed payment. Unfortunately, for those that CAN afford legal services, a lower price is a signal of inferior skill, so an attorney that tries to drop their price is likely to find their clients going elsewhere.

It is going to take a large scale institution to open up the low cost legal services market in a way that is efficient enough to be economically viable. If Walmart is willing to make a run at it, more power to them.

Yeah, $25 for notary service is a ripoff. As others have said, the UPS store, your financial institution, or if you are a student, the student services office at your university usually will do it for a couple of bucks or for free.

I get stuff notarized at my local city hall for free. No appointment necessary and I just show my ID (which you need to do anyway) that shows I'm a local resident. I've done it this way for over two decades now. I had no idea there was a 'nominal fee' that could've been charged.

I paid $600 for a mortgage/real estate transaction conveyance, and that was a cheaper option. I know they did (though not sure what) a bunch of behind the scenes work, but my meeting with a lawyer lasted all of 10 minutes while I signed some documents.

I'll probably go with just a notary next time, but even they can be expensive.

If this Walmart legal firm catches on out west here, I'd definitely consider it. It'll be a non-complicated real estate transaction - how could they fark it up?

charlesmartel11235:CSB but I'm a double major in English Literature and Computer Science and a lot of people have told me that i should go into patent law with that combo. And my cousin went to state school law school and does patent law now and he seems to do fine. Does that check out?

Patent law is kind of its own animal because you have to sit for the Patent Bar to practice it, and the requirements to sit for it and the exam itself are fairly rigorous. I know some patent lawyers who do quite well notwithstanding the overall glut of attorneys.

salvador.hardin:farking good. The cost of legal services is way too high. The courts are a public resource that we all pay for, but only the wealthy can afford to utilize them. Big Law might not be happy about it, but everyone recognizes that with the flood of attorneys pouring in to a shrinking work pool, the prices have to come down.

Most of the attorneys I know would be fine with taking a significant cut in their hourly rate if they could get dependable volume and guaranteed payment. Unfortunately, for those that CAN afford legal services, a lower price is a signal of inferior skill, so an attorney that tries to drop their price is likely to find their clients going elsewhere.

It is going to take a large scale institution to open up the low cost legal services market in a way that is efficient enough to be economically viable. If Walmart is willing to make a run at it, more power to them.

Hogwash. Most lawyers are not employed by big law firms, and most don't make that much money - or charge unreasonable fees. A lower rate than a big firm does not in any way signal inferior skill. The same people that believe that big firm = better lawyer are the ones who will flip out at having to pay a thousand dollars to a lawyer to represent them in a divorce. For some reason, people believe they are entitled to inexpensive legal work. Why is that? Yes, the system very much favors those with means but that does not mean that the people already struggling to make ends meet and serve everyone else should have to take even lower fees, while the big law rates keep going up.

ZAZ:My bank will notarize a customer's document for free. Otherwise the standard fee is like a dollar.

Quiet you! This way, they can overcharge stupid people for the lawyer's services. It's the same thing with those little H&R cubicles that are only open during March and April. They prey on the cheap and the stupid.

/ one of my parent's neighbors is a lawyer; is price for legal council is a bottle of Makers Mark

Hz so good:El Supe: $25 to get a document notarized in Canada, that seems awfully high, I've gotten it done at a public library in the USA for a nominal fee

Don't most banks offer notarization, if you're an account holder?

i presume their notaries are different from the notaries in the 49 common law states. in Louisiana, a civilian jurisdiction, notaries have much greater responsibilities than in any other state, and will charge for their services.

/ i became a notary in louisiana by passing the bar exam. and some other stuff. you don't need to pass the bar to be a notary, but there is a standarized test, and non-lawyer notaries are not certified for life. so they always have to renew to maintain their title of notary public. for whatever reason, notaries are a bigger deal in civilian jurisdictions. they do more. in france, their even a bigger deal.

No idea about Canada, but in many foreign countries, notary costs can be hundreds of dollars. Many countries require the notary to be an attorney, which allows them to do more than simply certify someone's acknowledgment.

This can only be a good trend. I want to see Samsung vs Apple litigated by guys whose only hope for making rent is to crush the other side and collect their contingency fee, not by a bunch of wimpy guys billing $300 an hour to lose.

charlesmartel11235:CSB but I'm a double major in English Literature and Computer Science and a lot of people have told me that i should go into patent law with that combo. And my cousin went to state school law school and does patent law now and he seems to do fine. Does that check out?

El Supe:$25 to get a document notarized in Canada, that seems awfully high, I've gotten it done at a public library in the USA for a nominal fee

Heck, as others have said, around here banks & credit unions will notarize for free if you're an account holder. I do most of my banking with USAA, but keep an account with a local physical place just for the little extra services like that.

I keep a token savings account with my old credit union just in case I need something notarized (or some other service like a cashier's check ect. Doesn't come up too often, maybe once a year or so).

buzzcut73:Yeah, $25 for notary service is a ripoff. As others have said, the UPS store, your financial institution, or if you are a student, the student services office at your university usually will do it for a couple of bucks or for free.

B.b.b.b.but that pen is real heavy; it's a lot of hard work to lift that pen go and sign your name.

It's as bad as those doctors that are so full of themselves to charge $30 to sign a sick note for your work - they have zero compassion for the poor folks stuck with a low-paying job that will fire your ass if you take a day off sick.

charlesmartel11235:CSB but I'm a double major in English Literature and Computer Science and a lot of people have told me that i should go into patent law with that combo. And my cousin went to state school law school and does patent law now and he seems to do fine. Does that check out?

A technical background is a terrible handicap to being a patent attorney. (This isn't snark.) It means you'll be inclined to be better at finding possible prior art which leaves you in the position of either including that information on your clients' patent applications, or being an unethical dumbass who's eventually going to get caught deliberately leaving information off of applications.

So, you're thinking, that means I'd be better as an offensive patent attorney, challenging ridiculous patents. No, understanding a technical issue generally means you think about it on an entirely different level than a potential juror who works the third shift at Wal-Mart. You actually speak a different language than them. It's even harder, because the defense will defend against your prior art with convoluted nuances that they'll deliberately float way above the jury's head. You have to explain how those nuances don't make a difference and to do so, you actually have to make them understand what those nuances are. You spend your entire rebuttal explaining the defense's case for them, and to Bob the night stocker, it sounds like you're agreeing with them.

This is because you will try to win the case on the fact that you're technically correct, while the other side will win on the fact that people are fairly easy to manipulate when they don't understand something but want to look like they do. They'll agree with you because you nod and smile and make agreement seem obvious, right?